Sounds for messengers and non-gaming applications

Notification sounds in messengers and other apps that are not games

Do you want the interaction between your app and the user to be easy and pleasant? Reinforce actions and events with custom sound effects.

Audible notifications are natural means of feedback that we learn to use since early childhood. If you decide to implement this in your applications, we will deliver a package of 30-35 unique sounds within a month.

Here are the other benefits of working with us.


3 reasons to entrust Universe Music with sound design for your app

01.Turnkey sound design solution for all types of notifications.

You will get a set of sounds created from scratch exclusively for your application. This set can include startup/shutdown sounds, authorization request, incoming/outgoing ringtones, incoming message, error message, new task, new update notifications, signals for confirming and canceling an action, establishing the connection with a server, cues for starting and completing a process and many more.

 


02. Professional approach.

We take into account visual content of the application, user profile, sound euphony, memorability and many other subtle considerations up to check how it is going to sound on the phone when it is in the pocket of jeans. You can easily check the professionalism of Universe Music sound designers: submit a test assignment for 3-5 sounds of your choice. Test assignments are done free of charge and the results will clearly demonstrate our capabilities and attitude.

 


03. Results-oriented mindset.

Out of the sound clips you receive you choose and approve only those that you like. The rest a sent for rework. We are ready to go the distance and do not put restrictions on the number of rework iterations to allow you to find exactly the sound effect you are looking for without the rush and unnecessary pressure.

 

 

 

Why should you use unique sounds instead of the clips from audio stocks?

To answer this questions, we just need to recall the functions that sound effects play in chat and other types of applications:

  • Attention accentuation through emotional response to sound. Unique custom sounds are created following a common style and technical parameters whereas sound clips you can get stocks will be different in style and volume from one another. For instance, if a short sharp sound is assigned to an event that occurs frequently, it can lead to an unpleasant “machine-gun effect”: multiple repetitions of an unpleasant sound can drive users away from using your application.
  • Enable users to distinguish notifications from different applications without looking at the screen. This is exactly how you can tell that you received a Skype message and a Facebook update. When you use sound clips from the stock libraries you put identity of your application at risk. Unique sounds, on the other hand, contribute to the growth and recognition of your brand.
  • Improve the usability of the application. Sounds designed specifically for a given application do a whole lot more to help a user understand that button was pressed, and necessary action was triggered. With sound cues users can guess how important the notification is and whether it requires an immediate response. When each of the sounds is unique and was created for a specific activity in the application the entire audio track turns into understandable and recognizable language for the user.
How are the unique sounds
for the applications created?

There is no way to do that other than through meticulous work and tons of experiments. First and foremost, the sound designer studies the information about the application, evaluates its user interface and functionality. She tries to imagine the style of the sounds that will highlight the rest of the picture the user is going to see: bright, catchy, minimalistic, innovative and so on. Non-game applications require “abstract” sounds, and this makes the sound design process more complex. Abstract sounds are harder to imagine than more tangible sounds for video or games. This cannot be learned from books. One has to have intuition and talent for that.

Initially, the concept of a sound sprouts in the designer’s mind and he begins the search for the sources. Those can be musical instruments (real or virtual), sound synthesis software, or even everyday objects made of different materials and of different weights. Sound designer has to keep in mind that the sounds they create should evoke associations with actions those sounds are supposed to emphasize. For instance, an error message is better accompanied by a negative sound whereas successful login should be highlighted by a positive tone.

When manipulations with different sound sources produce desired effect, the actual sound is recorded using quality equipment in a soundproof room with great acoustics. After the sound is recorded, it is processed using special software to match the vision imagined by the sound designer. Processed sound is then integrated into the application for testing. Not rarely it happens so that after the initial testing the process goes back to search for a different sound source.

10 steps
to advance your application from the silent film era.
Download the template of the brief and will it in
1
Download the template of the brief and will it in
2
Answer the clarification questions via email or Skype
Finalize the list of sounds to be created
3
Finalize the list of sounds to be created
4
Evaluate the test assignment
Make the down payment
5
Make the down payment
6
Wait for the sounds to be designed and produced
Check the sounds in the application
7
Check the sounds in the application
8
Wait for your feedback to be incorporated
Receive the HQ versions of all sounds in the desired format
9
Receive the HQ versions of all sounds in the desired format
10
Integrate the sounds into your application